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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25954021">save you, save me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterants/pseuds/winterants'>winterants</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Avatar &amp; Benders Setting, AoFuta Week, M/M, author enjoyed writing this a bit too much</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:01:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25954021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterants/pseuds/winterants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ba Sing Se is the city of second chances. Refugees getting a second chance of being alive. Those whose hands were impure from their crimes can redeem themselves. People who were separated could meet again in Ba Sing Se.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aone Takanobu/Futakuchi Kenji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>AoFuta Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>save you, save me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>for aofuta week 2020: day 7: free prompt </p><p>to be honest, i was working on my works for aofuta week in reverse order. i was considering saving it for the last but then... nah. i've kept this work in my documents far too long. </p><p>as you can see, i love the avatar series so much!!! </p><p>also: a special thank you to my friend who helped me find the perfect name for the flying bison. another special thank you is for kei who helped me fix some errors TuT</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Green is the colour of the mighty Earth Kingdom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Earth Kingdom, whose capital is the great Ba Sing Se. Known for its impenetrable walls that even the Superior Dragon of the West couldn't tear down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was in this city did I find you once again: my darling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Within Ba Sing Se, people lived three different types of lifestyles. There are the refugees, the middle-class people, and the absolute filthy rich and royalty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone isn’t someone who came from a wealthy background. His family wasn’t that poor until they were bullied by the so-called Earth Kingdom soldiers who constantly asked for money from everyone. They were also not that rich to the extent that they could eat the finest food every day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His family was just as plain average as he is- which is something he didn’t mind at all. He was like the normal one in the team. He liked it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This could be the reason why he was not that impressed with the Upper Ring compared to the others. Tsukishima had loved it, although he hid it well behind his snarky remarks about how the royal Water Tribe had better interior design. The Avatar is still riding the high from the royalty treatment they are getting from the people of Ba Sing Se. Even Kunimi, son of the most powerful Fire Nation minister seemed to enjoy the house that was given to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While the others were resting at the Upper Ring, Aone had strolled around until he entered the Middle Ring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he were to be someone living in Ba Sing Se, maybe he would be living in the Middle Ring. Not too fancy like the Upper Ring, not too ruthless like the Lower Ring. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba Sing Se is the city of second chances. Refugees getting a second chance of being alive. Those whose hands were impure from their crimes can redeem themselves. People who were separated could meet again in Ba Sing Se. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was what exactly happened to the young earthbender. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone was busy looking at a few stray cats running around the streets when he heard someone call his name. That’s weird. No one outside of the team should know who he is. All the people who knew him before were still in their old village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except for one person, now that he thought of it. But he can’t be here. That’s just impossible. Right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that really you, Aone? It’s me! Futakuchi! You can’t possibly forget me, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was this another illusion? Like the swamp that they had stopped by that day? It can’t be, right? This is Ba Sing Se, the city of new resolutions and hopes. Not some random swamp that made Tsukishima lose his appetite for the whole week. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The earthbender looked upwards- and looking at him from above was indeed his old childhood friend, Futakuchi Kenji. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If this was any other person, they would have probably screamed their lungs out upon meeting their old friend. But this is Aone: Avatar Koganegawa’s earthbending teacher who only replies when he deems it </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> necessary. Even when he agreed to accept the young Avatar as his earthbending student, he did not do it verbally. With just a nod and a glint of hope in his eyes, he left his home to travel with the team. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Aone’s eyes only slightly widened in surprise upon seeing that smile again. How long has it been? Was it 5 years since they last met? Or was it longer?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, this doesn’t feel real at all.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went to the new tea shop that just opened in the Upper Ring to have a quick catch-up session. To be frank, Aone wouldn’t mind the tea shop that was right in front of them when Futakuchi called him, but the latter insisted on going to this one instead. “They just opened, and their tea is so good, rumour has it that a rich merchant specifically brought them here from the Lower Ring!! That’s amazing, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi hadn’t changed at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been some time since we last met. How are you? Hey, you should try the jasmine tea here! It’s their house specialty- if I remember correctly.” Aone nodded twice, one for the tea, and one to show that he’s fine. The waiter came and took their orders, and once he left, Futakuchi continued asking him more endless questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is your family well?</span>
  </em>
  <span>  A nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I heard rumours that you came here with the Avatar! Is that true?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Another nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it true that the Avatar’s hair makes him look like a chicken-pig?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Aone’s lips curled upwards at this statement. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you think of Ba Sing Se? Isn’t it cool?</span>
  </em>
  <span> His eyes glanced to the sides- it was so-so for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why did you come to Ba Sing Se, by the way? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually, for questions that require reasons as an answer, Aone would usually push Tsukishima or Kunimi to answer for him. They were the diplomats in the team. Not him. Aone is just a bending teacher. So, back to the question: Why did they come to Ba Sing Se? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone’s eyes diverted towards the window nearby. The royal palace could be seen clearly despite the distance and the walls surrounding it. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We’re here to meet the King. The war is reaching its climax. If we don’t act now, Ba Sing Se will fall. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“When are you guys going to meet the King?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another question that isn’t a yes or no type of question. Ah, how he wished Tsukishima was here right now. His eyes went to the notice hanging near the counter. It was a sign that the tea house would be closed for two days in honor of the Earth King’s birthday and would open the day after. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The day after the birthday festival, huh? That’s like in four days if I’m not wrong? Hey, how about we hang out while you’re here! Just like old times? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone agreed to the offer. It would be just him and Futakuchi again- hanging out at their village just like when they were kids. What could possibly go wrong?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had known each other since they were kids. That was expected when you are neighbors. Every two weeks, Aone’s family would invite the Futakuchi household to have a meal together with them. The Futakuchis would return the favor the week after. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As previously mentioned, Aone’s life wasn’t that bad nor was it too good. It was just as plain normal as he could have wished for. Because in a glimpse of his daily life, it was Futakuchi who would make it become a little bit special every single day. And that was all that mattered for the young earthbender at that time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is, until the Fire Nation army raided their village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Fire Nation was very determined to capture every single Earthbender they could find. Aone’s parents had hidden him inside the barn where they kept hay for the ostrich-horses. None of them were Earthbenders, except for him. Thus they were lucky. But Futakuchi’s family wasn’t. The Fire Nation took his father away from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, they burned the village down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone remembers the day very well. His family opened the doors in a very urgent matter: his father holding the remaining money they had while his mother was holding the last few foods that they had. Pulling the young Aone to ride on the ostrich-horse, the animal ran with all its might as they evacuated to the nearby village. The image of how heartbroken Futakuchi’s face was when they saw each other for the last time burned deeply in the Earthbender’s memories.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young child asked his parents: Why didn’t they save his friend and his mother? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mom could only reply with one short sentence: To protect you. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aone? Hello? Are you in there???” Futakuchi’s hand is blocking his vision again. “You’re spacing out a lot recently. Are you okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It feels weird to have someone understand you just from looking at your body language again. Don’t get him wrong, he has great teamwork with Team Avatar. It’s just that it takes all of them more than 3 tries to guess what he would be thinking. (In Kunimi’s case, it would be 7. Thus he never tries it anymore.) </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone shook his head. He’s okay. It just feels odd to be able to hang out with his friend again after years. It’s been far too long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi brought him to the restaurants around the Middle Ring. It made sense for them to hang out at that Ring. The Upper Ring only had a few restaurants. Even so, the restaurants there were a bit too fancy for Aone’s personal taste. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, there’s this really good food at that restaurant over there. But we can go there later when we’re hungry again. In the meantime- hey, do you want to check out the university? The library is really neat!! Or, maybe we can go to the Lower Ring, or check out the new zoo! There are so many things that exist in Ba Sing Se! Four days isn’t enough for us to go through all of it!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods and glances, and nods and glances again. From afar, one may seem to think that this friendship is one-sided, but Aone really enjoys this. Futakuchi’s endless ramblings and disses towards whatever that annoys him. How the sunlight hits Futakuchi’s skin just at the perfect angle. Futakuchi’s laugh when they saw a winged-lemur being chased by a few leopard-cats. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone missed this. All of this. He missed being with his friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They came to Ba Sing Se to see the Earth King. And the day to meet him has finally come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima, Aone, and Avatar Koganegawa stood in the Earth King’s throne room. As the discussion would be concerning the Fire Nation and the war, Kunimi was excused from the discussion. (as usual)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Earth King accepted their arrival warmly, just like what any other leader would do when they are blessed with the Avatar’s presence. Then, everything turned for the worse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a war happening outside of Ba Sing Se?” The Earth King asked genuinely. “If there’s a war that’s been going on for decades, shouldn’t the people of Ba Sing Se have already known of it by now?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you can ask your advisor about that? We were surprised as well that no one in the Lower, Middle or Upper Ring talked about the war.” Tsukishima replied calmly, his eyes stealing a look towards the said advisor. What was his name again? Suguru, was it? Aone usually refers to him as the snake guy. Advisor Suguru retaliated- claiming that the Avatar is probably a part of some propaganda who is trying to take the Earth King down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I, the Avatar, out of all people, want to take down the Earth Kingdom?? I mean, I’m an air nomad! We belong in the skies! No offense, Aone. And you too, Your Highness.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone felt like Tsukishima and Kunimi still had a lot to teach the Avatar concerning diplomatic negotiations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, can you prove at this moment that the war exists?” Suguru challenged the Avatar and his team. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you do try to call your Fire Nation friend who’s waiting outside to tell us about the war, that can’t be solid proof. Words can be a string of lies, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know,” Koganegawa answered calmly. “That’s why we lied to you about when we were supposed to meet the King.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” The change of expression on Advisor Suguru’s face was too drastic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You wanted to capture Kunimi and bargain with the Fire Nation to ensure the war never reaches Ba Sing Se, didn’t you? We met with the Earth King a few days earlier to talk about this.” Koganegawa’s words caught Suguru off-guard for a few seconds. Tsukishima then continued to add the fuel to the fire afterwards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder how did you know that we would come to the palace today, out of all the days we stayed in Ba Sing Se? We could have come during the birthday party, who knows?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguru’s face turned absolutely red. Was it from embarrassment, or was it from anger? Or was it both? No one knows, because the second his brain recovered from the revelation, he commanded the Dai Li around them to attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the Dai Li could make the first move, Aone destroyed the throne room-  throwing all of them to the underground city as Koganegawa flew to evacuate the Earth King to safety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the day of their arrival to Ba Sing Se, someone had whispered these words to the team. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Be careful of the walls of Ba Sing Se. <strong>The walls have ears</strong>.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, none of them understood what it meant. Walls aren’t supposed to have ears. The walls here are made from earth. Earth is a substance, they aren’t living things. Why would they have ears?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the day after the advice came did they realise what that person had actually meant. Or to be more exact, it was actually Aone who had noticed the corrupted administration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How? Aren’t corrupted organisations usually good at being hidden from the public eye?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The answer, my darling, is as clear as day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the day when Aone’s parents had taken him away on that ostrich-horse and left his best friend Futakuchi behind, Futakuchi had screamed something at him that day. They were kids after all, were you expecting them to be quiet at that moment? </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Takanobu!!! Don’t go!!!!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi never calls him Aone. And Aone never calls him Futakuchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was at that moment when Aone realised something was off. It turned worse at the tea shop when Futakuchi asked him specifically when they would meet the Earth King. To be truthful, Aone had messed up. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> accidentally revealed the real date they were going to meet the King- the Earth King’s birthday. But it was wrongfully misinterpreted by the latter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another sign that their friendship wasn’t the same friendship back in that tiny rural village. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi has changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The floor of the throne room collapsed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone saved Tsukishima from the fall, summoning a wave of softened earth to smoothen their landing. Tsukishima wasn’t happy. The advisor wasn’t there, he probably deemed that Koganegawa was a better target to chase after. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that leaves them with the three Dai Li agents. Should be easy enough.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Dai Li attacked first, sending their rock gloves flying towards the two. Aone easily pushed the three gloves away, sending back a few large boulders towards them. Tsukishima always knew that Aone is a really powerful earthbender, but to see him go heads on against three powerful earthbender by himself (and also destroying the whole throne room floor) made him glad that Koganegawa is learning from the best earthbender there is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It just irks Tsukishima that Aone seems like he was purposely avoiding one of the Dai Li agents though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully there was water in this underground city, as Tsukishima summoned a water whip to remove the hat of the Dai Li that Aone was avoiding. Of course, it had to be Futakuchi. Of course, Aone realised this. Of course. The waterbender only heaved out a loud sigh before charging towards Futakuchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fight seemed to be in Team Avatar’s favor, as Aone finally managed to knock out one of the agents while trapping the other inside one of the larger pieces of crystal around. Tsukishima complained to Aone on how he should help him with the last remaining Dai Li agent- only to be cut off when they saw a few Kyoshi warriors arriving. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank goodness, some backup who would help me-” Tsukishima’s sentence was left hung midair as he noticed the black orbs the leader of the team has. Before he even had a chance to defend himself, Aone built an earth wall in front of both of them as it blocked the huge fire from burning both of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was really expecting myself to bring Kunimi back to the Royal Palace, but having the Prince of the Northern Water Tribe instead would definitely make the Firelord happy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why did the Fire Nation Princess, Kageyama Miwa have to be here, at all times?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the princess attacks them with a second blast of fire, Tsukishima stops the fire this time with a large wave of water before it approaches them. Aone faces Kageyama Miwa head-on- leaving Tsukishima to deal with Futakuchi by himself once more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More exchanges between the firebender and earthbender occurred. Aone slowly advances towards the Fire Nation princess as he traps her into the corner. Being cornered by the earthbender, she decided to resort to the last option she has. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sending a circle of fire to fend Aone away, she continued her attacks before aiming a fireball towards Tsukishima. Distracted by his focus on Futakuchi, Tsukishima was caught off-guard as he was thrown across the ground due to the impact of pulling a last-minute water wave to protect himself from the fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone dashed towards the fallen Tsukishima. It was just a slight burn, something that the waterbender can just quickly heal by himself. The prince nagged at him for letting his guard down just for him. He didn’t realise that while he was tending to the slightly injured Tsukishima, Kageyama Miwa had directed a lightning bolt towards him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone turned to see the lightning come towards him. He should carry Tsukishima and move towards safety. But somehow, his feet were stone cold. It was like something had numbed him from moving at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then the next thing he knew, a green silhouette had come in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi noticed that Aone wasn’t attacking him at all. It was too obvious that even the waterbender that was with him was terribly annoyed as well. Maybe Aone still wanted to protect him- they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> friends. Best friends protect each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it was common for him to step in front of his friend and to take the attack, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A common knowledge one should know is that electricity is stronger than earth. Sadly, Futakuchi takes the lightning bolt while wearing earth gloves. And Futakuchi is not a firebender, so he can’t redirect lightning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was at that moment that most of the memories came back to him. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered the day the Fire Nation had attacked his villages. They were looking for the last three earthbenders in the village. Someone had rat out to the army that the last three benders were a middle-aged man, his son, and the son’s best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had caught Futakuchi’s father and were looking for the last two. Futakuchi’s mother had told them to run first. They’ll follow right after. Futakuchi remembered screaming Aone’s first name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He remembered that they did follow after, but no one wanted to accept them. It was too dangerous to have another earthbender in the village. So they spend the next few years living in a village for at most a month before moving to the next village. At every stop, Futakuchi’s mother would always send a letter to Aone’s family to tell them they were okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No letters came to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the last village they stayed in, a lot of the villagers had suggested they join them in going to Ba Sing Se. They would be safe there, no Fire Nation army had managed to break through Ba Sing Se’s walls. And so they decided to follow them. The journey was not an easy one- many had fallen along the way. A lot of them had to sacrifice themselves. Making a passport to travel there is no easy task considering that they have little to no money to their names. But they eventually made it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they arrived at Ba Sing Se, Futakuchi was surprised that no one talked about the war. Didn’t most of them come here to seek refuge because of how the war had torn their lives? Shouldn’t the people of Ba Sing Se be preparing themselves in case the Fire Nation does come one day?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Times like this made him miss Aone the most, but he believes that they’ll be able to meet again one day. Maybe they’ll meet again in Ba Sing Se, who knows?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi tried to convince the people that there is a war, but every single time- he was silent by the public. Even when news came that the Avatar had returned- none of them even glanced in his way. Eventually, his efforts caught the attention of the Dai Li, as he was captured and thrown to prison to be ‘rehabilitated’. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the hypnosis stole most of his memories away, Futakuchi changed one crucial part of his memory: no one should know that he calls Aone by Takanobu. That should be a dear secret he keeps until the end of his life.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone’s world fell apart in that instant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was about to hold Futakuchi’s electrocuted body before Tsukishima stopped him. “Touch him, and you too might be electrocuted.” Tsukishima signaled him to remove the earth gloves that were on Futakuchi’s hands. Both of their expressions darkened upon seeing that Futakuchi’s hands were severely burned due to the lightning. The pain on Aone’s face was so visible that for the first time, Tsukishima was actually afraid of what the earthbender would do next. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone brought hell towards the underground city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Boulders fell like rain from above as those below tried to find a place to save themselves. Even Kageyama Miwa had escaped. It’s okay, they’ll get her next time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They heard the sound of Goshiki’s outcry echoing through the underground city. Kunimi’s finally here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was about to go up towards Kunimi and their flying bison when he noticed that Aone didn’t move an inch. “Come on, Aone! You drove them away far enough!! Let’s go before they get enforcement!!!” The waterbender noticed that the earthbender was still looking at the paralyzed Dai Li. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you just leave him? You said it yourself that he wasn’t the same person as he was before?</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s still my friend.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone’s words surprised both Tsukishima and Kunimi. Aone only talks when it’s crucial for him. To hear him actually talk in order to save his friend- it made them realise that the bond the two of them had is something even more than they thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wearing his own version of the earth gloves, Aone carried Futakuchi as he blasted himself towards the others who were already on Goshiki. And with that, the team escaped Ba Sing Se, leaving the city at that immediate moment before the enemy could catch up to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to the Earth King?” Tsukishima asked, noticing that there were only six people on the bison. The Earth King’s daughter was sitting as far as she could from them. Kunimi only shook his head while holding the crying young child in his embrace. Koganegawa was silent as well, Tsukishima noticing that a deep scar ran across his left cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, Ba Sing Se had finally fallen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of them remained silent as they processed the reality. The last mighty Earth Kingdom had finally fallen to the hands of the Fire Nation. They had no more time to lose. Time was running out. If they don’t plan their next course of action well, peace could never be restored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Takanobu.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Futakuchi’s soft voice surprised everyone as all of them looked towards him before looking at Aone. The others shifted towards the front side of the saddle, leaving Aone some space to approach the injured Dai Li. Tsukishima had moved too, his expression was enough to tell Aone that healing Futakuchi is impossible at this rate. It wasn’t like Aone didn’t know about it. Tsukishima is one of the greatest waterbender at healing, but no one can survive from a direct lightning hit. No one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kenji.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t exchange any other words after that. Aone removed his gloves before he intertwined their hands together. Futakuchi’s burned fingers are enclosed in his. Futakuchi’s eyes were locked on their fingers. The moment felt too intimate for him. Then Aone gently lifted Futakuchi’s face to look towards him. Their gazes never leave the other. It sounds melodramatic, sappy to some extent. But, it wasn’t like they would have any other chances to do it anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aone’s eyes showed all the emotions needed for Futakuchi to understand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry for leaving you behind. I wished we could have met again in a better situation. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The Dai Li agent could only let a small smile as he softly muttered his next words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay….. At least I can brag….. that the person I love… is a great earthbender…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the moonlight, despite being on the verge of death, Futakuchi looked so ethereal. It’s just not fair. Why did fate decide to separate them again? Did they just found each other again recently- only to say goodbye once more? Aone tightened his hold on Futakuchi’s hand, embracing the warmth that radiated from the latter. The tears that fell down Futakuchi’s cheeks flowed down even faster as he muttered his last words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Takanobu….” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When the war is over….. Let’s meet again….”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And when we do…..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please remember me….” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that last sentence, Aone could feel that Futakuchi’s hand had gone limp. He’s gone. Futakuchi is really gone. Aone pulled the hand towards his lips, kissing the fingers that started to become colder gently. One finger at a time. One finger for one meaning. The tears that accompanied him were cold, just like how cold Futakuchi’s body is now. The tears would serve as a memory for him, a memory of the person who he had just lost. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry for leaving you back then. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry you were in so much pain and I did nothing.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I promise that your death would not be in vain.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I promise that we’ll end the war.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And when it’s over, let’s meet again in the next life. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the dark, gloomy night sky, with the full moon illuminating brightly behind them, Aone closed Futakuchi’s eyes as he wished him a sweet dream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Green was the colour of the mighty Earth Kingdom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Earth Kingdom, whose capital was the great Ba Sing Se. Known for its impenetrable walls that the Fire Nation couldn’t break through until the end. Alas, the city had fallen from the inside- just like how Avatar Koganegawa had used the same tactic to destroy the Fire Nation drill from destroying the Outer Wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the internalised coup d’etat, the green seal of the royal Earth Kingdom has now been covered by the traditional red tapestry with the Fire Nation emblem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ba Sing Se has finally fallen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was in this city did I lose you once more: my darling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>I will sing for you<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>Your wish will come true<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>The farewell's tears are cold<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>So I won't be lonely<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>Let the farewell be a meeting<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>Let the meeting be a farewell again<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>These tears will come to my heart<br/>
</em>
  </span>
  <span class="u">
    <em>I will be with you, forever</em>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>           - Kim Mihyun, Destiny (2019) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Green is the colour of the mighty Dateko. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Futakuchi Kenji.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dateko, whose most well-known club is the volleyball club. Known for its mighty ‘Iron Wall’ that even the strongest of aces would find it troublesome to break through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My name is Aone Takanobu.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was in this volleyball club did I find you once again: my dear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you again, Takanobu.” Aone nodded, smiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>additional tags: reincarnation, angst with a happy ending </p><p>this originally started by me asking a friend who they would want to become the avatar. friend said koganegawa with goshiki as the flying bison and all hell went loose from there. </p><p>kudos and comments are very very very appreciated! im also on <a href="https://twitter.com/hatsukoidoa">twitter</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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